Integrat-in

The objective of this software is to give companies a practical tool to measure and improve their internal integration, i.e.: the integration between internal departments. It was developed through an academic Project coordinated by Prof. Phd Marcio Lopes Pimenta and Profa. Phd. Ana Cristina Ferreira, at Federal University of Uberlândia. This project had the aim of developing a model to predict the antecedents of the integration level of marketing, logistics and production, considering the influence of formal and informal factors that generate integration and the existence of conflicts.

A survey of 179 participants from all regions of Brazil was conducted. A parsimonious model including four dimensions and 34 variables was developed through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.

The field data corroborate studies dealing with the impact of various formal and informal integration factors on the cross-functional integration level as a construct. Furthermore, this paper concludes that the level of cross-functional integration can be defined as: the intensity of the relationship among internal functions which can be measured by the mutual existence of formal and informal factors and the absence of manifest conflicts.

Cross-functional integration can reduce conflicts between employees. Therefore, the higher the level of cross-functional integration, the lower the employee distress. Thus, this model helps to manage the quality and the intensity of integration through an instrument that facilitates the understanding and management of this phenomenon. The proposed model has generated important information for managers by pointing out variables that can predict the integration level and their impacts on the organizational performance. The full research paper concludes with examples about how the model could be useful in several practical situations. It is available in the following link: https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-01-2019-0052

Ferreira, A.C., Pimenta, M.L. and Wlazlak, P. (2019), "Antecedents of cross-functional integration level and their organizational impact", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 34 No. 8, pp. 1706-1723. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-01-2019-0052

Acknowledgements: This software and its original research were produced with the financial support of FAPEMIG (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais), through the grant PPM-00074-17.

Prof. Phd Márcio Lopes Pimenta pimenta.mp@gmail.com

Profa. Phd Ana Cristina Ferreira ana-cristina18@hotmail.com